Philadelphia National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1862 as nine leased lots in seven private cemeteries in the Philadelphia region. In 1881, the current location was established and the graves of soldiers were reinterred from the various leased lots. It is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and managed from offices at

Washington Crossing National Cemetery Washington Crossing National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in Upper Makefield Township, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It opened in late 2009 and occupies approximately . Administered by the United States Department of Vet ...

. It is 13 acres in size and contains 13,202 burials. The cemetery contains monuments recognizing the reinterment of soldiers from the

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...

and the Mexican–American War. A

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

Soldiers and Sailors Monument was dedicated in 1912 to honor the reinterment of 184 Confederate prisoners of war who died in Philadelphia area hospitals and camps during the American Civil War. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

History

It was established in 1862 as one of the original 14 National Cemeteries for the burial of American Civil War soldiers. The cemetery initially consisted of nine leased lots in seven privately owned cemeteries. In 1881, Quartermaster General

Montgomery C. Meigs Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Meigs strongly opposed sece ...

recommended the consolidation of all veteran interments in Philadelphia into one cemetery. The U.S. Federal Government purchased from Henry J. and Susan B. Freeman in 1885. A federal superintendent was appointed in 1869 for the "number of burials in seven incorporated cemeteries near the city of Philadelphia." Remains were reinterred from seven cemeteries in the Philadelphia area: Lafayette, Lebanon, United American Mechanics Association, Odd Fellows, The Woodlands, Glenwood, Mount Moriah, Bristol,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and Whitehall. The cemetery contains the burial of 350

United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

who fought in the Civil War and trained at

Camp William Penn Camp William Penn was a Union Army training camp located in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania from 1863 to 1865, notable for being the first training ground dedicated to African American troops who enlisted in the United Army during the Americ ...

in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania. It also contains the burial of 66 Buffalo Soldiers from the

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

and

10th Cavalry Regiment The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original "Buffalo Soldier" regiments in the post–Civil War Regular Army. It served in combat during t ...

s and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. In 1912, the Philadelphia chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy sponsored the installation of a nine-foot tall granite stone memorial to recognize the 184 Confederate soldiers and sailors buried at the cemetery. It was dedicated on October 12, 1912 on the 42nd anniversary of the death of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

. The dedication was attended by approximately 1,000 people. The Mexican-American War monument was erected by the Scott Legion to recognize the 169 men from that conflict buried in Glenwood Cemetery. The soldiers were originally interred at Glenwood Cemetery and were reinterred to Philadelphia National Cemetery in 1927. The Mexican-American War monument was also relocated to the Philadelphia National Cemetery. There are two structures on the property - a utility shed built in 1936 and a rostrum built in 1939. In 1997, the cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places. As of September 30, 2008, Philadelphia National Cemetery had 13,202 interments. This number is not expected to change significantly as the cemetery has been closed for new interments since September 1962, except for those in reserved plots and in plots opened by disinterments. See p. 233.

Notable interments

Alphonse Girandy Alphonse Girandy (January 21, 1868 – April 3, 1941) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. Biography Girandy, of Pennsylvania, joined the Navy and served during the Spanish� ...

(1868-1941), United States Navy sailor, Medal of Honor recipient * Galusha Pennypacker (1844-1916), Major General during the American Civil War, Medal of Honor recipient * Louis Santop (1890-1942), Baseball Hall of Fame catcher

Images

File:HISTORIC IMAGE- AERIAL VIEW OF CEMETERY AND ITS ENVIRONS. PHOTOGRAPH 9 SEPTEMBER 1961. NCA HISTORY COLLECTION. - Philadelphia National Cemetery, Haines Street and Limekiln Pike, HALS PA-2-16.tif, Aerial View of cemetery File:Philadelphia National Cemetery - View from top of Hill.jpg, View from top of hill File:Philly National Cemetery.jpg, The original rostrum of 1887 was replaced in 1939 File:Battle of Germantown Monument.jpg,

Monument File:Mexican American War Memorial in Philadelphia National Cemetery.jpg,

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...

Memorial File:Confederate Soldier and Sailors Memorial at Philadelphia National Cemetery.jpg, Memorial to the 184 Confederate soldiers and sailors interred at the cemetery File:Confederate Monument Dedication Ceremony in Philadelphia National Cemetery.png, Photo of the Confederate Monument Dedication Ceremony File:Historical Plaque about Philadelphia National Cemetery and Galusha Pennypack.jpg, Storyboard about the Philadelphia National Cemetery and Galusha Pennypacker File:Historical Plaque about Confederate Burials in Philadelphia National Cemetery.jpg, Storyboard about the Confederate burials in Philadelphia National Cemetery

References

External links

* * {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania, state=collapsed 1862 establishments in Pennsylvania American Civil War cemeteries Cemeteries in Philadelphia Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Pennsylvania Historic American Landscapes Survey in Pennsylvania Monuments and memorials in Philadelphia United States national cemeteries West Oak Lane, Philadelphia